Category Archives: Solar Energy
Garden Lights from the Sun
Solar lights are really easy to install in your garden. All you have to do is to decide on the site you want to lit and stick the fixture in the ground. Best of all they don’t need electricity.
Some will come with a small built in solar panel on the top; other will have a removable panel that you can place at a sunny and convenient location. During the day the solar panel linked to an electronic circuit, charges the batteries. When night begins to falls a photocell detects the changes in luminosity and switch on the light. At sunrise the light switches off and the charging cycle starts again.
Assuming the batteries are fully charged, good quality solar lights will provide illumination all night long without any problem. NiCad (Nickel Cadmium) or NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) Batteries are often used in solar lighting applications. They will last 2 or 3 years and are easily replaceable.
Most modern solar lights use LED (Light Emitting Diode) technology. Contrary to usual light bulbs, LED’s power consumption is very low, thus providing more lighting time. In addition, LED’s are very reliable and can last a very long time.
Maintenance wise, the only thing required is to clean the solar panel once in a while. Regularly removing the build up dust with a soft clothe, will guarantee optimum performance.
Do not expect solar garden lights to deliver an extremely bright luminosity. Their main purpose is to create a pleasant atmosphere at night. Very nice accent lighting can be obtained when the lights are well located.
Solar garden lights can be found in a multitude of designs and for many purposes.
In addition to the simple and common fixture, you can find for example floating solar lights for swimming pools or ponds, solar deck lights, solar pathway lights.
Solar lights are not limited to gardens; in my next article I will give you an idea about some other interesting solar lighting applications.
For more information on how you can gain from the many benefits of solar energy, visit http://www.sourcetecenergy.com/.
The Biggest One
The solar energy is proving to be the best alternative source for producing energy. But as they say all things invented have their own disadvantages or bad side; this article will discuss some of the disadvantages that solar energy has.
The main disadvantage that comes along with solar energy would be the initial installation cost. However, SourceTec Energy is here to assist you with that aspect. The initial set-up of the equipment, has in the past, has been too much for an average family. However, things have improved now with reduced prices & generous government subsidies & rebates available.
Solar energy is still the best clean renewable alternative source to use compared the available dirty fossil fuel technologies. With the price of the solar panels continuing to decrease with improved technology and more widespread manufacturing there is likely to be a widespread increase the use of the solar cells to generate electricity for both home and industrial purposes.
Another disadvantage of solar energy installation is that it requires a large available area (generally roof space) for the system to a high enough KWh size to be efficient in providing a large source of electricity. This can be a problem in high density urban areas where space is minimal and often expensive to own as well in some cities. High Pollution can also cause a disadvantage to the solar panels as it can degrade the efficiency of the photovoltaic cells.
Clouds also give a similar disadvantage, as clouds lessen the energy of the sun rays. These disadvantages were more pronounced with the older solar components and designs however, and the newer designs of solar panels have features that lessen these kinds of effects…… As we already know solar energy needs the sunlight to produce and convert energy into electricity. So, solar panels can only be useful during the day and at night your expensive solar equipment is useless. However, the use of solar battery chargers helps to reduce this disadvantage, or even better in Australia & Germany there are effective Feed In Tariff programs that allow people to sell their solar produced electricity during the day at a profit & buy fossil fuel produced electricity at night for a cheaper rate.
It’s important that solar panels are properly placed where they can get the maximum amount of direct sunlight so that your systems optimal output can be reached. ObviouslySolar panels should not be placed in an area that has obstructions like buildings and landscaping, and the direction & aspect of the roof is also very important. Make sure your solar system is installed by an experienced and accredited installer.
So these are the disadvantages of making the switch to renewable solar energy. People should always consider the positive or the advantages of solar energy. At this point in our environmental crisis solar energy is proving to be one of the greatest invention of mankind, and it is set to become even more crucial and bigger in the future!
For more information on how you can gain from the many benefits of solar energy, visit http://www.sourcetecenergy.com/.
Swim all year long with a Pool Heater
Who said swimming should only be enjoyed in the summer time? While at one point winter may have stopped all plans for a good swim, this isn’t the case any more. Swimming pool heaters allow you to enjoy swimming for the entire year. Yet when winter comes around many owners bring out the covers and tarps and cover the pool up, forgetting about it until the next summer rolls around. Heaters allow for the pool season to be extended even throughout the entire year.
Swimming pool heaters make it easy to keep a constant temperature throughout the entire year so that everyone can relax with family and friends in warm water, even if there’s snow laying on the ground. These heaters come in a variety of shapes and sizes, which allow a great variety available, even for those with only a modest budgets to make such an addition.
So, how do you know which type of heater is right? Heaters all function in different ways, which means they each have there own individual list of pros and cons. To figure out which is best for you, you really do need to know specifically what your needs and desires for a are. In general there are three types that work for most people, the electric, gas, and solar.
Electric heaters, despite the name, actually use a form of solar heat. Basically, when the temperature outside of a pool is above 45 degrees, these heaters take the warmth from the outside air and then electrically convert it to the water through a compressor. These are great for all-year use because it doesn’t matter what the weather is: the heaters will kick the cool water up between 80-90 degrees on average. These heaters can be a little bit more expensive depending on the quality, but they can last a long time and make up for the cost compared to other cheaper models.
Solar Heating
A gas heater is fueled by natural gas and are great for quick heating. The biggest and obvious problem is that due to gas prices, they may be expensive to operate. The initial cost for this type is less, but once again the gas prices add up.
Solar heaters are the best way to go for people who live in areas with a lot of warm weather. They aren’t as powerful as heat pumps, but they are much more efficient in heating because there is virtually no cost of operation. Solar heaters extract warmth from the daytime air, and the pre-existing pool pump re-circulates the heated water back to the pool. The obvious drawback is that with bad weather the swimming pool heater doesn’t work.
For more information on how you can gain from the many benefits of solar energy, visit http://www.sourcetecenergy.com/.
Installation is Key!
A proper installation of solar pool heaters is an absolute must. This depends upon solar source, location of the building where the collectors are to be placed, safety measures. It is suggested to get the whole system installed from a well-qualified agency which not only holds experiencing in installing such system but can also do a good job of maintaining the same.
Like every other machine or product, solar pool heaters also ask for a little maintenance. A little maintenance every season would make these solar heaters last at least ten to twenty years. For this is important to maintain chemical balance and filtering system of the swimming pool. If the climate is usually dry all around the year, then the glazed collectors also need to be cleaned periodically. Usually the installations guide also carries instructions for maintenance as well. It is a good idea to go through the manual once. It would help in the long run.
Solar pool heaters deteriorate usually in 15-20 years but their pay back time is usually three years. If you have an area for the solar collectors, then you can reap the full benefits of solar pool heaters. Now that’s what is called as basking the glory of Sun!
For more information on how you can gain from the many benefits of solar energy, visit http://www.sourcetecenergy.com/.
Heat Your Pool the Solar Way!
Solar pool heaters are one of those that make the best and the optimum use of the free sunshine. It uses the renewable and non-polluting source of energy and provides maximum output. In the long run it proves itself that it has you enough money to pay for itself.
Solar pool heaters have come of age. They are the best devices to reduce swimming pool heating costs and give a competitive edge to other alternatives like gas and electric heat. They provide the most economical way of heating the pools in cold climate. Even in hot summers the pool water can be cooled down by circulating the water during night in the collectors.
Apart from installation, solar heating pools have very low operating costs. Solar pool heaters work proves to be quite useful in numerous ways. Apart from cooling the pool water in summers, they provide the most practical use of solar energy. They also cover the most effective measure to reduce the heat loss, water evaporation and chemical use. The best of the deal that you get is that you get to extend your swimming season. Various solar pool heaters also give you more control over water temperatures.
Solar Heating
It is important to know how solar pool heaters work. This is necessary as only after knowing their proper working, you can compare how to reduce the operating costs for the same. Solar pool heaters usually consist of flat plates. The materials of these plates depend upon what kind of climate you live in. Glazed collector systems are usually made of copper tubing on an aluminum plate with an iron-tempered glass covering. This usually results in higher installation costs. But these glazed collectors absorb more heat and can also be used in heating domestic hot water all the year round.
For more information on how you can gain from the many benefits of solar energy, visit http://www.sourcetecenergy.com/.